Journal Entry #1 Creation: Where did I come from?
I believe that I came from god and god puts people on this earth to impact or change something in the world. Whether it be just having children, or finding the cure to cancer, I believe that god has a plan for you and knows what you’ re capable of. In the end, when god believes that you have done all you could and you have fulfilled his plan or maybe even you haven’t, that’s when he choses to remove someone from the earth. Sometimes though, he takes people too early, or when it wasn’t their time, I believe that when this happens god always has a reason for it. As people say “everything happens for a reason.”. Theodicy: Why is there suffering?
I believe there is suffering because no one can live in a perfect world where nothing bad can ever cross their paths. At some point in someones life, there will be suffering whether it be big and scary inevitable death of oneself, or sickness.
I also believe that there is suffering in the world due to people not acting rational and retaliating on those that have done no harm. For example, some people feel the need to kill someone they don’t even know who have not wronged them in any way, shape, or form. Some people call this “karma” meaning that what comes around goes around. I believe in this theory. If someone wrongs another harmless being, they will have what comes for them. This, meaning that there is suffering in the world, and sometimes suffering comes to people who have not wronged another being and sometimes it comes to people who have wronged another being. For those who are innocent and are still harmed, there suffering is inexplicable.
In conclusion, I believe in karma and the fact that there would be no leaning from your mistakes if there was no suffering. There would be no modern medicine and the advancements that have come up in the 21st century if there was no sickness and suffering. Suffering is a way to learn from your mistakes and take into account that you only live once. Ethics: How should I live?
I believe all human beings should live a moral life. This meaning they always tell the truth and they bring no harm to other people. As I stated in my previous statement, I also believe in karma. This is an ideal of that what comes around, goes around. I believe that if you don’t live a positive, moral life and your existence is dependently on the harm of other beings that you will not live a fulfilled life.
I also believe that there should be no act of lying in this world. Lying is just making up false accusations, whether it is about yourself or another person. Lying does more harm them good and it also inevitably leads to people figuring out that you lied. This leads to people questioning your morals and your credibility and that is no way to live. Destiny: What happens after I die?
I believe after you have lived a fulfilled life, and you’ve reached the point of death, you either go to two places. One of them being heaven and one being hell. If you’ve lived a life that god has meant for you and lived a life worth living, you would go to heaven. If you haven’t, and you’ve sinned your whole life and brought harm amongst other beings, then you would go to hell. I think that god choses extraordinary lives to be lived by beings he puts on this earth, and if you treat your life like trash and only chose to do evil and not good, you are placed into hell. If you live a fulfilled life and done everything that god has wanted for you and not brought harm amongst any other beings, then I believe you are placed into heaven.
Journal Entry #2
If I had to chose a significant figure from India's history to sit down and have a conversation with, I would choose Ghandi. Here is how I think our conversation would go:
Me: Why did you decide to dedicate your life to freeing India from England even though you chose to study law in England?
Ghandi: I chose to come back and dedicate my life to freeing India because I thought it had been long enough that they had been under the ruling of England. After reading Civil Disobedience, that book changed my mindset and gave me enough courage and strength to know that if i went back to India, I could free my country.
Me: How did you know that England was going to free India?
Ghandi: I had a feeling they were going to cave into my terms to free India, because after reading Civil Disobedience I realized that there was no way they could fight India, and keep them in order, while at the same time fighting in WWII. I knew that if I introduced the right circumstances and presented my point accurately, that England would have no option but only to free India.
Me: Lastly, how did you make the decision for India to give away Pakistan? And how did you think the people of India were going to respond to it?
Ghandi: I made the conscious decision to give away Pakistan because in return England promised that India's would be released from their control. This was not a deal I could pass up; India had been under England's control for too long to let this deal slip by. I thought it was the appropriate time and I thought everyone in India would have agreed with my decision. I also thought that this would help with the overcrowding situation that had been a controversial dilemma in India for a long time.
Journal Entry #3
My experience trying the Buddhist way of being mindful was more effective and calming then I thought it would be. I took the time out of each day to just think and let the thoughts just come to my head. I genuinely enjoyed it because it allowed me to relax for just 5 minutes, which proved enhance my mood and gather my thoughts. I found it easy to meditate because thoughts and ideas always naturally come to my brain, and I can never really gather them before this. Now, after being mindful I found that my thoughts were all together and overall I felt more put together and organized. After meditating each day, I found one common factor that kept reappearing in my head. Every time I became mindful and meditated the thought of how grateful I am always emerged into my head. I am blessed with amazing friends and family that help me get through all my tough times. I kept thinking about how some people in this world are not as blessed as I am and how thankful I am for these things.
Journal Entry #4
If I was God giving Moses all these ten commandments again, I would keep them almost exactly the same as they were given. These commandments have worked for a quite along time; therefore I don't believe there is much need for changing. One thing I would rearrange would be where the commandments "thou shall not steal, and thou shall not murder" lie. I would change those to be higher up in the order of the commandments, because I feel that those commandments are broken more than the other commandments. Another one I would change would be the commandment that states, "thou shall not give false testimony against your neighbor". I would reword it so it reads "thou shall not give false testimony against a fellow human being". I would change that because I believe that no one should lie in order for it to affect someone in a negative way, meaning anyone and not just your neighbor.
Journal Entry #5
The Parable that I felt a strong connection too was the Parable of the Good Samaritan. An example of this situation in my life, would be all the times that I have witnessed a bullying situation and instead of interfering and helping the victim, I would just stand there and be a bystander. One specific time though, two of my good friends, who were best friends, got into a fight and after, they were no longer friends. One of the friends became very mean and started talking slander about the other friend. Instead of standing up for my other friend, I did not help her and I let her reputation get damaged for it. She lost numerous friends from this and not many people chose to do the right thing and stand up for her. Later, the truth came out and the friend that was telling lies and damaging the reputation of her other friend was lying about everything. Soon everyone, including me, realized how immoral we had been to that friend and how we should have interfered and defended her. This Parable would have helped me to realize how I should have treated her with the respect I would have wanted myself to be treated with.
Journal Entry #6
I believe that the misconceptions about the Islamic faith is not ok. Judging someone and treating them in a different manor just because their faith is unjust and disrespectful. Making false judgements and being prejudice against a innocent Muslim just because of the other people involved in their religion who chose to make bad decisions and harm others, is just plain awful. No one deserves to be judged based on crimes they didn't commit. Most Muslims in America have nothing do with the attacks on 9/11, but still they are served with unruly treatment because of it. Being biased against a Muslim and jumping to false conclusions because of their history is irrational and impetuous. That is like saying all Americans are violent because of the Sandy Hook shooting or the Columbine shooting. No one likes to be judged for things that they aren't responsible for. America needs to stop thinking its normal to be scared when sitting next to a Muslim on a plane, thats not normal. Somethings that Americans can do to stop this prejudice, is just think that Muslims are people just like you and me. They deserve the same treatment. American's need to stop judging and oppressing innocent Muslims because of something they were not involved in. They don't have the right to degrade Muslims for their faith. In conclusion, the unfair treatment of Muslims in the United States goes against all that this country stands for. They have a right to live freely without judgement and persecution.
Creation: Where did I come from?
I believe that I came from god and god puts people on this earth to impact or change something in the world. Whether it be just having children, or finding the cure to cancer, I believe that god has a plan for you and knows what you’ re capable of. In the end, when god believes that you have done all you could and you have fulfilled his plan or maybe even you haven’t, that’s when he choses to remove someone from the earth. Sometimes though, he takes people too early, or when it wasn’t their time, I believe that when this happens god always has a reason for it. As people say “everything happens for a reason.”.
Theodicy: Why is there suffering?
I believe there is suffering because no one can live in a perfect world where nothing bad can ever cross their paths. At some point in someones life, there will be suffering whether it be big and scary inevitable death of oneself, or sickness.
I also believe that there is suffering in the world due to people not acting rational and retaliating on those that have done no harm. For example, some people feel the need to kill someone they don’t even know who have not wronged them in any way, shape, or form. Some people call this “karma” meaning that what comes around goes around. I believe in this theory. If someone wrongs another harmless being, they will have what comes for them. This, meaning that there is suffering in the world, and sometimes suffering comes to people who have not wronged another being and sometimes it comes to people who have wronged another being. For those who are innocent and are still harmed, there suffering is inexplicable.
In conclusion, I believe in karma and the fact that there would be no leaning from your mistakes if there was no suffering. There would be no modern medicine and the advancements that have come up in the 21st century if there was no sickness and suffering. Suffering is a way to learn from your mistakes and take into account that you only live once.
Ethics: How should I live?
I believe all human beings should live a moral life. This meaning they always tell the truth and they bring no harm to other people. As I stated in my previous statement, I also believe in karma. This is an ideal of that what comes around, goes around. I believe that if you don’t live a positive, moral life and your existence is dependently on the harm of other beings that you will not live a fulfilled life.
I also believe that there should be no act of lying in this world. Lying is just making up false accusations, whether it is about yourself or another person. Lying does more harm them good and it also inevitably leads to people figuring out that you lied. This leads to people questioning your morals and your credibility and that is no way to live.
Destiny: What happens after I die?
I believe after you have lived a fulfilled life, and you’ve reached the point of death, you either go to two places. One of them being heaven and one being hell. If you’ve lived a life that god has meant for you and lived a life worth living, you would go to heaven. If you haven’t, and you’ve sinned your whole life and brought harm amongst other beings, then you would go to hell. I think that god choses extraordinary lives to be lived by beings he puts on this earth, and if you treat your life like trash and only chose to do evil and not good, you are placed into hell. If you live a fulfilled life and done everything that god has wanted for you and not brought harm amongst any other beings, then I believe you are placed into heaven.
Journal Entry #2
If I had to chose a significant figure from India's history to sit down and have a conversation with, I would choose Ghandi. Here is how I think our conversation would go:
Me: Why did you decide to dedicate your life to freeing India from England even though you chose to study law in England?
Ghandi: I chose to come back and dedicate my life to freeing India because I thought it had been long enough that they had been under the ruling of England. After reading Civil Disobedience, that book changed my mindset and gave me enough courage and strength to know that if i went back to India, I could free my country.
Me: How did you know that England was going to free India?
Ghandi: I had a feeling they were going to cave into my terms to free India, because after reading Civil Disobedience I realized that there was no way they could fight India, and keep them in order, while at the same time fighting in WWII. I knew that if I introduced the right circumstances and presented my point accurately, that England would have no option but only to free India.
Me: Lastly, how did you make the decision for India to give away Pakistan? And how did you think the people of India were going to respond to it?
Ghandi: I made the conscious decision to give away Pakistan because in return England promised that India's would be released from their control. This was not a deal I could pass up; India had been under England's control for too long to let this deal slip by. I thought it was the appropriate time and I thought everyone in India would have agreed with my decision. I also thought that this would help with the overcrowding situation that had been a controversial dilemma in India for a long time.
Journal Entry #3
My experience trying the Buddhist way of being mindful was more effective and calming then I thought it would be. I took the time out of each day to just think and let the thoughts just come to my head. I genuinely enjoyed it because it allowed me to relax for just 5 minutes, which proved enhance my mood and gather my thoughts. I found it easy to meditate because thoughts and ideas always naturally come to my brain, and I can never really gather them before this. Now, after being mindful I found that my thoughts were all together and overall I felt more put together and organized. After meditating each day, I found one common factor that kept reappearing in my head. Every time I became mindful and meditated the thought of how grateful I am always emerged into my head. I am blessed with amazing friends and family that help me get through all my tough times. I kept thinking about how some people in this world are not as blessed as I am and how thankful I am for these things.
Journal Entry #4
If I was God giving Moses all these ten commandments again, I would keep them almost exactly the same as they were given. These commandments have worked for a quite along time; therefore I don't believe there is much need for changing. One thing I would rearrange would be where the commandments "thou shall not steal, and thou shall not murder" lie. I would change those to be higher up in the order of the commandments, because I feel that those commandments are broken more than the other commandments. Another one I would change would be the commandment that states, "thou shall not give false testimony against your neighbor". I would reword it so it reads "thou shall not give false testimony against a fellow human being". I would change that because I believe that no one should lie in order for it to affect someone in a negative way, meaning anyone and not just your neighbor.
Journal Entry #5
The Parable that I felt a strong connection too was the Parable of the Good Samaritan. An example of this situation in my life, would be all the times that I have witnessed a bullying situation and instead of interfering and helping the victim, I would just stand there and be a bystander. One specific time though, two of my good friends, who were best friends, got into a fight and after, they were no longer friends. One of the friends became very mean and started talking slander about the other friend. Instead of standing up for my other friend, I did not help her and I let her reputation get damaged for it. She lost numerous friends from this and not many people chose to do the right thing and stand up for her. Later, the truth came out and the friend that was telling lies and damaging the reputation of her other friend was lying about everything. Soon everyone, including me, realized how immoral we had been to that friend and how we should have interfered and defended her. This Parable would have helped me to realize how I should have treated her with the respect I would have wanted myself to be treated with.
Journal Entry #6
I believe that the misconceptions about the Islamic faith is not ok. Judging someone and treating them in a different manor just because their faith is unjust and disrespectful. Making false judgements and being prejudice against a innocent Muslim just because of the other people involved in their religion who chose to make bad decisions and harm others, is just plain awful. No one deserves to be judged based on crimes they didn't commit. Most Muslims in America have nothing do with the attacks on 9/11, but still they are served with unruly treatment because of it. Being biased against a Muslim and jumping to false conclusions because of their history is irrational and impetuous. That is like saying all Americans are violent because of the Sandy Hook shooting or the Columbine shooting. No one likes to be judged for things that they aren't responsible for. America needs to stop thinking its normal to be scared when sitting next to a Muslim on a plane, thats not normal. Somethings that Americans can do to stop this prejudice, is just think that Muslims are people just like you and me. They deserve the same treatment. American's need to stop judging and oppressing innocent Muslims because of something they were not involved in. They don't have the right to degrade Muslims for their faith. In conclusion, the unfair treatment of Muslims in the United States goes against all that this country stands for. They have a right to live freely without judgement and persecution.